Rising tide of fake pills

For regulators trying to stem the tide of counterfeit medicines, the big fear is not the odd, embarrassed man who buys fake Viagra on the internet rather than speak to his GP.

No, their concern is that a large quantity of counterfeit medicine will find its way into the supply chain and be dispersed to patients through pharmacies.

This is exactly what happened in Britain during the summer. The Irish Medicines Board (IMB) is particularly concerned about the case because the wholesaler concerned was also licensed to supply medicines into the Republic.